Cruise passengers will be hit as taxi drivers face port charge

TAXI drivers in Southampton will be forced to pay £1 to pick up passengers from the city’s cruise ships.

And the new levy, which will come into force next month, is set to cause fares to rise for thousands of cruise-goers.

Associated Brit-ish Ports (ABP), which has agreed the new charge, says it is needed to fund new marshals for the city’s four cruise terminals after a series of rows between cabbies at the ranks.

The Daily Echo understands a number of arguments have broken out between cabbies over fares at cruise terminal ranks in recent years.

But members of the taxi trade have hit back, criticising ABP for forcing them to foot the bill and warning it will be “unpopular” with passengers.

From April 1 taxi drivers will have to pay £1 to the marshal running the rank.

Today the city council’s Cabinet will debate amending the table of hackney fares to allow cabbies to recoup the charge from passengers.

ABP says the charge will go ahead regardless of the Cabinet’s decision to amend the table.

Speaking about the new charge, port director Nick Ridehalgh said: “A series of incidents between hackney carriage drivers at our terminals has underlined the need for the port to ensure a professional standard of service for our cruise passengers.

Comments (29)

"The Daily Echo understands a number of arguments have broken out between cabbies over fares at cruise terminal ranks in recent years. "
If they were breaches of the Public Order Act then it's a police job and if they weren't then it's de minimis. Either way, no need to create more useless public sector/quango "jobs"

"The Daily Echo understands a number of arguments have broken out between cabbies over fares at cruise terminal ranks in recent years. "
If they were breaches of the Public Order Act then it's a police job and if they weren't then it's de minimis. Either way, no need to create more useless public sector/quango "jobs"Dai Rear

Dai Rear wrote:
&quot;The Daily Echo understands a number of arguments have broken out between cabbies over fares at cruise terminal ranks in recent years. "
If they were breaches of the Public Order Act then it's a police job and if they weren't then it's de minimis. Either way, no need to create more useless public sector/quango "jobs"

ABP is a private company.

[quote][p][bold]Dai Rear[/bold] wrote:
"The Daily Echo understands a number of arguments have broken out between cabbies over fares at cruise terminal ranks in recent years. "
If they were breaches of the Public Order Act then it's a police job and if they weren't then it's de minimis. Either way, no need to create more useless public sector/quango "jobs"[/p][/quote]ABP is a private company.ecuk268

Maybe the £1 they will charge the cruise passengers they can put towards better driving skills course.
As currently, most don't know where their indicators are, nor can comprehend the Highway Code at all....

Maybe the £1 they will charge the cruise passengers they can put towards better driving skills course.
As currently, most don't know where their indicators are, nor can comprehend the Highway Code at all....sotonbusdriver

Dai Rear wrote:
&quot;The Daily Echo understands a number of arguments have broken out between cabbies over fares at cruise terminal ranks in recent years. "
If they were breaches of the Public Order Act then it's a police job and if they weren't then it's de minimis. Either way, no need to create more useless public sector/quango "jobs"

ABP is a private company.

Thanks. Didn't know. What is then to prevent the taxis discharging outside of the land owned by ABP and is it a subsidiary of a big company which might not like protests at its AGM?Since it's currently on land owned by the company why was there " lengthy consultation with the city council" Hope you know. It's all a bit confusing.

[quote][p][bold]ecuk268[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]Dai Rear[/bold] wrote:
"The Daily Echo understands a number of arguments have broken out between cabbies over fares at cruise terminal ranks in recent years. "
If they were breaches of the Public Order Act then it's a police job and if they weren't then it's de minimis. Either way, no need to create more useless public sector/quango "jobs"[/p][/quote]ABP is a private company.[/p][/quote]Thanks. Didn't know. What is then to prevent the taxis discharging outside of the land owned by ABP and is it a subsidiary of a big company which might not like protests at its AGM?Since it's currently on land owned by the company why was there " lengthy consultation with the city council" Hope you know. It's all a bit confusing.Dai Rear

sotonbusdriver wrote:
Maybe the £1 they will charge the cruise passengers they can put towards better driving skills course.
As currently, most don't know where their indicators are, nor can comprehend the Highway Code at all....

Maybe they'll use it to pay the £1 charge that the story is in fact about.

[quote][p][bold]sotonbusdriver[/bold] wrote:
Maybe the £1 they will charge the cruise passengers they can put towards better driving skills course.
As currently, most don't know where their indicators are, nor can comprehend the Highway Code at all....[/p][/quote]Maybe they'll use it to pay the £1 charge that the story is in fact about.gilbertratchet

Dai Rear wrote:
&quot;The Daily Echo understands a number of arguments have broken out between cabbies over fares at cruise terminal ranks in recent years. "
If they were breaches of the Public Order Act then it's a police job and if they weren't then it's de minimis. Either way, no need to create more useless public sector/quango "jobs"

ABP is a private company.

Thanks. Didn't know. What is then to prevent the taxis discharging outside of the land owned by ABP and is it a subsidiary of a big company which might not like protests at its AGM?Since it's currently on land owned by the company why was there " lengthy consultation with the city council" Hope you know. It's all a bit confusing.

This is about access to picking passengers up though, so they've not only got to let passengers know that they're there, some distance away from the rank, they've also got to persuade them that it's worth lugging all their baggage all that way on to a busy road, to save £1.

[quote][p][bold]Dai Rear[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]ecuk268[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]Dai Rear[/bold] wrote:
"The Daily Echo understands a number of arguments have broken out between cabbies over fares at cruise terminal ranks in recent years. "
If they were breaches of the Public Order Act then it's a police job and if they weren't then it's de minimis. Either way, no need to create more useless public sector/quango "jobs"[/p][/quote]ABP is a private company.[/p][/quote]Thanks. Didn't know. What is then to prevent the taxis discharging outside of the land owned by ABP and is it a subsidiary of a big company which might not like protests at its AGM?Since it's currently on land owned by the company why was there " lengthy consultation with the city council" Hope you know. It's all a bit confusing.[/p][/quote]This is about access to picking passengers up though, so they've not only got to let passengers know that they're there, some distance away from the rank, they've also got to persuade them that it's worth lugging all their baggage all that way on to a busy road, to save £1.gilbertratchet

It's only a quid, I doubt any cruise passengers would even notice if the drivers get permission to add it to the fare, considering the alternative would be walking qtr of a mile with luggage to the dock gate I doubt they'd even care.

It's only a quid, I doubt any cruise passengers would even notice if the drivers get permission to add it to the fare, considering the alternative would be walking qtr of a mile with luggage to the dock gate I doubt they'd even care.wwozzer

What a non story, you go to other cities in the world and the customer pays an extra dollar, euro for taxis from the airport.Radio Taxis and the union which are the same person are just upset that they couldn't get their greedy hands on the control of the marshalls.They wanted to charge the taxi driver an extra £400. Don't they make enough already. So I say yes a million customers can be wrong.

What a non story, you go to other cities in the world and the customer pays an extra dollar, euro for taxis from the airport.Radio Taxis and the union which are the same person are just upset that they couldn't get their greedy hands on the control of the marshalls.They wanted to charge the taxi driver an extra £400. Don't they make enough already. So I say yes a million customers can be wrong.Mr saint76

sotonbusdriver wrote:
Maybe the £1 they will charge the cruise passengers they can put towards better driving skills course.
As currently, most don't know where their indicators are, nor can comprehend the Highway Code at all....

The ones you talk about are probably ex bus drivers fed up with acting like brain dead hamsters d in circles all day. The others are people that refused to be bullied by little men with little dicks, who think that just because they drive a big vehicle they can drive how they want.

[quote][p][bold]sotonbusdriver[/bold] wrote:
Maybe the £1 they will charge the cruise passengers they can put towards better driving skills course.
As currently, most don't know where their indicators are, nor can comprehend the Highway Code at all....[/p][/quote]The ones you talk about are probably ex bus drivers fed up with acting like brain dead hamsters d in circles all day. The others are people that refused to be bullied by little men with little dicks, who think that just because they drive a big vehicle they can drive how they want.hackneyman

sotonbusdriver wrote:
Maybe the £1 they will charge the cruise passengers they can put towards better driving skills course.
As currently, most don't know where their indicators are, nor can comprehend the Highway Code at all....

The ones you talk about are probably ex bus drivers fed up with acting like brain dead hamsters d in circles all day. The others are people that refused to be bullied by little men with little dicks, who think that just because they drive a big vehicle they can drive how they want.

[quote][p][bold]sotonbusdriver[/bold] wrote:
Maybe the £1 they will charge the cruise passengers they can put towards better driving skills course.
As currently, most don't know where their indicators are, nor can comprehend the Highway Code at all....[/p][/quote]The ones you talk about are probably ex bus drivers fed up with acting like brain dead hamsters d in circles all day. The others are people that refused to be bullied by little men with little dicks, who think that just because they drive a big vehicle they can drive how they want.hackneyman

Just pull the cabs out of the port, then ABP can explain to people why they have to lug 10 suitcases home. Maybe ABP could run there own cab service and fund the £1200 quid a month it costs to run one. If the Marshall's were not employed from agencies on an ad hoc basis they might know what they were doing, why should cabbies pay for a bunch of idiots?

Just pull the cabs out of the port, then ABP can explain to people why they have to lug 10 suitcases home. Maybe ABP could run there own cab service and fund the £1200 quid a month it costs to run one. If the Marshall's were not employed from agencies on an ad hoc basis they might know what they were doing, why should cabbies pay for a bunch of idiots?bigfella777

If the cabbies can't behave properly then of course they should be the ones to pay for the marshalls to police them.

Maybe the Council can take a leaf out of their book and start charging them for parking on double yellow lines, junctions, cycle lanes and general driving like a**holes.

If the cabbies can't behave properly then of course they should be the ones to pay for the marshalls to police them.
Maybe the Council can take a leaf out of their book and start charging them for parking on double yellow lines, junctions, cycle lanes and general driving like a**holes.garlic

sotonbusdriver wrote:
Maybe the £1 they will charge the cruise passengers they can put towards better driving skills course.
As currently, most don't know where their indicators are, nor can comprehend the Highway Code at all....

A comprehension of the English language wouldn't go amiss either.

[quote][p][bold]sotonbusdriver[/bold] wrote:
Maybe the £1 they will charge the cruise passengers they can put towards better driving skills course.
As currently, most don't know where their indicators are, nor can comprehend the Highway Code at all....[/p][/quote]A comprehension of the English language wouldn't go amiss either.Outside of the Box

bigfella777 wrote:
Just pull the cabs out of the port, then ABP can explain to people why they have to lug 10 suitcases home. Maybe ABP could run there own cab service and fund the £1200 quid a month it costs to run one. If the Marshall's were not employed from agencies on an ad hoc basis they might know what they were doing, why should cabbies pay for a bunch of idiots?

£1200 to run a taxi for a month? I doubt it, even if you include the fuel!

[quote][p][bold]bigfella777[/bold] wrote:
Just pull the cabs out of the port, then ABP can explain to people why they have to lug 10 suitcases home. Maybe ABP could run there own cab service and fund the £1200 quid a month it costs to run one. If the Marshall's were not employed from agencies on an ad hoc basis they might know what they were doing, why should cabbies pay for a bunch of idiots?[/p][/quote]£1200 to run a taxi for a month? I doubt it, even if you include the fuel!Maine Lobster

bigfella777 wrote:
Just pull the cabs out of the port, then ABP can explain to people why they have to lug 10 suitcases home. Maybe ABP could run there own cab service and fund the £1200 quid a month it costs to run one. If the Marshall's were not employed from agencies on an ad hoc basis they might know what they were doing, why should cabbies pay for a bunch of idiots?

£1200 to run a taxi for a month? I doubt it, even if you include the fuel!

Actually you're right it's probably more for the people who pay over 250 a week just for the rent then say 100 a week in fuel. So well done Mane you're spot on.

[quote][p][bold]Maine Lobster[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]bigfella777[/bold] wrote:
Just pull the cabs out of the port, then ABP can explain to people why they have to lug 10 suitcases home. Maybe ABP could run there own cab service and fund the £1200 quid a month it costs to run one. If the Marshall's were not employed from agencies on an ad hoc basis they might know what they were doing, why should cabbies pay for a bunch of idiots?[/p][/quote]£1200 to run a taxi for a month? I doubt it, even if you include the fuel![/p][/quote]Actually you're right it's probably more for the people who pay over 250 a week just for the rent then say 100 a week in fuel. So well done Mane you're spot on.Mr saint76

sotonbusdriver wrote:
Maybe the £1 they will charge the cruise passengers they can put towards better driving skills course.
As currently, most don't know where their indicators are, nor can comprehend the Highway Code at all....

Or maybe the £1 collected by the port can be used for reading lessons for bus drivers.

[quote][p][bold]sotonbusdriver[/bold] wrote:
Maybe the £1 they will charge the cruise passengers they can put towards better driving skills course.
As currently, most don't know where their indicators are, nor can comprehend the Highway Code at all....[/p][/quote]Or maybe the £1 collected by the port can be used for reading lessons for bus drivers.dunque

" I think it's a brilliant idea" Ian Hall SH, the cruise passengers can phone a radio company who will not charge the pound booking fee. I had a taxi the other day and all the driver complained about was mini cabs taking their work, parking up on the streets like taxis etc he said he was a member of SHA so why are they on one hand complaining of losing work and on the other handing mini cabs the competitive edge over taxis. Glad I'm not in this ironically silly scenario, my friend who goes on cruises tips well but ask her for anything extra and that's your tip gone which would be £2/3.

Any cabby in his right mind would have refused to charge their passengers fora pound over the ccost of the journey.

" I think it's a brilliant idea" Ian Hall SH, the cruise passengers can phone a radio company who will not charge the pound booking fee. I had a taxi the other day and all the driver complained about was mini cabs taking their work, parking up on the streets like taxis etc he said he was a member of SHA so why are they on one hand complaining of losing work and on the other handing mini cabs the competitive edge over taxis. Glad I'm not in this ironically silly scenario, my friend who goes on cruises tips well but ask her for anything extra and that's your tip gone which would be £2/3.
Any cabby in his right mind would have refused to charge their passengers fora pound over the ccost of the journey.NotoNwo

Keep_Soton_Tidy wrote:
This charge is only for the white Hackney cabs ranked up outside the arrivals halls, you can call a local radio private hire firm for free, without the extra £1 charge

Yeah you can call West Quay cars and the drivers can teach you how to fight in pubs. Real class.

[quote][p][bold]Keep_Soton_Tidy[/bold] wrote:
This charge is only for the white Hackney cabs ranked up outside the arrivals halls, you can call a local radio private hire firm for free, without the extra £1 charge[/p][/quote]Yeah you can call West Quay cars and the drivers can teach you how to fight in pubs. Real class.Mr saint76

OSPREYSAINT wrote:
I guess if you are wealthy enough to afford a Cruise, it shouldn't be too much to spend an odd quid or two on transport from the Docks.

This is the bottom line, really. It's an absolutely trivial amount. Given that a lot of people simply round up the fare to something convenient as a tip, I predict that the cabs will actually end up costing passengers exactly the same amount as before anyway.

[quote][p][bold]OSPREYSAINT[/bold] wrote:
I guess if you are wealthy enough to afford a Cruise, it shouldn't be too much to spend an odd quid or two on transport from the Docks.[/p][/quote]This is the bottom line, really. It's an absolutely trivial amount. Given that a lot of people simply round up the fare to something convenient as a tip, I predict that the cabs will actually end up costing passengers exactly the same amount as before anyway.gilbertratchet